Passpoint WiFi tech promises cellphone-like handoff between hotspots

The plan: make WiFi networks a "true extension" of service provider networks.

An industry group that aims to make WiFi access from smartphones and other devices as simple as connecting to a cellular network will begin certifying WiFi network equipment and end-user devices for the new connection method next month.

The WiFi Alliance said its Passpoint program aims to make WiFi a “true extension of service provider networks,” letting users roam from one hotspot to another with no manual effort, just as cell phone owners already switch seamlessly from one cell tower to another.

“With Passpoint, devices automatically identify and join WiFi networks, and users are not required to complete a cumbersome manual login process,” the WiFi Alliance said in an announcement today. “Passpoint also automatically configures industry-standard WPA2 security protections without user intervention. Passpoint certification for network equipment and end user devices is expected to begin in June, and is based on the WiFi Alliance Hotspot 2.0 Specification.”

A cell phone’s SIM card could be used to authenticate mobile users to WiFi hotspots. The advantages are fairly obvious—users get faster Internet access without password hassles, and service providers can divert traffic away from congested cellular networks. The Passpoint program is complementary to a new revision of the IEEE's 802.11 WiFi standard, which was announced yesterday and supports faster devices and networks as well as better handoff between cellular and WiFi networks.

While it’s likely your cellular service provider will be involved in the Passpoint program, the organizations involved aren’t saying exactly what it will cost or how users will be billed. Whether it’s an extra charge will be determined by service providers, WiFi Alliance CEO Edgar Figueroa told Ars. With certification about to begin, Figueroa said he "would not be surprised" to see Passpoint-enabled WiFi networks available to consumers in the third quarter of this year.

Figueroa said unnamed service providers have been participating in field trials worldwide, and that the technology will support roaming agreements similar to those seen in today's cellular networks.

Network providers silent on pricing

We asked Verizon Wireless, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint if they plan to offer Passpoint services and, if so, how users will be billed. We heard back from Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and T-Mobile. Among those, T-Mobile was the only one to confirm that it’s involved in PassPoint.

“As a member of the WiFi Alliance Board, T-Mobile has been involved with Passpoint (also known as HotSpot 2.0) since October 2009,” T-Mobile said in a statement provided to Ars. “This program is already a part of our OEM device requirements. In the future, we expect that our Connection Manager on our devices will leverage Passpoint as an authentication mechanism. We have no announcements to make at this time regarding specific devices.”

Sprint told us that it is “exploring all the options available to maintain our networks’ performance at optimal levels, but have nothing to share at this time about specific services.” Verizon similarly said it won’t discuss future plans regarding Passpoint. “We do not have ‘Passpoint’ on our phones today, but we are aware of the WiFi Alliance and its ongoing work,” Verizon said.

Basically, any device that can connect to WiFi and supports WPA2 security will be capable of using Passpoint services, Figueroa said. "That's the great news about this. There's no hardware requirement. It will be a software update," he said. "The bulk of devices shipped in the last several years will be upgradeable."

The cell phone industry doesn't have the greatest track record providing software updates in a timely manner. Figueroa does note that "the availability for the update will be highly dependent on the equipment vendors," but he said there is a lot of excitement in the industry about this project.

The WiFi Alliance surveyed 1,001 US smartphone and tablet owners, finding that—unsurprisingly—people generally want the type of service Passpoint promises to provide. About 72 percent of those surveyed would even pay more for the ability to connect automatically to WiFi hotspots, and 70 percent said they would switch providers to get such an offering.